


Survivors

by animaniacs16



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Endgame Fix-It, I love luis, Multi, No Time Skip, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, enjoy, no Joe Biden steve, no time travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2020-05-13 09:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19248001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animaniacs16/pseuds/animaniacs16
Summary: Luis gets out of his van to find nothing there except for a buzzing walkie-talkie.Wong is studying spells when he notices dust floating into his library.Pepper realizes what’s happening when her employees evaporate in front of her.The other Avengers witness the snap from their different locations, but one thing’s for sure- the Avengers finally have something to avenge.An Endgame fix-it.





	1. Luis: Does Anyone Want Donuts?

Luis drums his fingers on his steering wheel. It’s been five minutes, what’s taking Scotty so long? The collection should’ve taken two minutes at the most- and maybe Luis is being a little impatient, but come on! He and Scotty are going to get donuts after this. Without turning around, he calls out to the van Dynes. 

“Yo, is everything all right out there?” No answer. 

“Hello?” Nada. 

“You guys ignoring me or something?” Maybe they can’t hear him over the portal in the back of his truck. Time for Plan B. 

He honks the truck’s horn, and instantly, “La Cucaracha” rings out. The echo continues for a few seconds, and yet no one answers. 

What’s going on? Luis tries to catch a glimpse of the situation in the mirror, but all he sees is a whole lot of nothing. 

“Guys?” Now he’s getting worried. Luis gets out of the car, leaving the door slightly open. He rounds the car, expecting to find the van Dynes and Scott, but all he encounters are a few clouds of black dust that weren’t there before. 

Oh, it’s a joke.

“Ha-ha, very funny, amigos. We’re wasting time that could be used for donuts.”

Only the sound of the portal answers him. Wait... why is the portal still open??

Luis runs over to the portal, frantically attempting to turn it off. He grabs the transmitter and asks, half-jokingly, “Hello?”

He doesn’t expect anyone to respond. 

“Luis? Is that you? What’s going on?”

“Scotty? Why are you still in there, man? Are Hope and her parents in there with you?” He holds the transmitter closer to his ear. 

“No, they were supposed to bring me back a while ago. I need to get out of here, man. I think something happened.” Scott’s obviously trying to keep his voice level, but Luis knows Scott. He’s terrified. 

“Just tell me what to do, and I’ll get you out of there.” 

Scott directs him over the transmitter, and Luis presses the right button. All of the sudden, a very shaken, but alive Scott appears full size in front of Luis. 

Scott switches off the portal, puts down his jar of stuff and stumbles over to Luis. Luis is about to ask him what’s happening, but Scott takes him by the shoulders. 

“How long was I in there? Weeks? Months? Years? Please don’t say years.”

“...I don’t know, six or seven minutes?” 

Scott breathes a sigh of relief. “For me, it was five hours. Time is weird in there, and I thought I’d entered a vortex or something, and that’s why Hope got cut off.”

“C’mere, man.” Luis pulls his best friend into a hug. “You’re good. We good. Now c’mon, it’s donut time!” He expects Scott to perk up at this, but instead he continues to look confused. 

“No, but seriously. Where are the van Dynes?” He looks behind Luis, where those weird black clouds of dust are settling. 

“They were standing right there, and everything was good until Hope got cut off right while preparing to bring me back. What’s with that dust that’s there? Did you do that?” Scott asks. 

Luis shrugs. “Nah, man. I’m just as confused as you.”

“But... where’d they go? They can’t just disappear, can they?”

“One time, my cousin’s friend’s mom got deported but no one knew so everyone thought she disappeared.”

“Don’t think that’s it, Luis. It’s like they just... disintegrated. I need to call Hope...” Scott pats his suit, naively hoping it just appeared there. “Shit. It’s in the van.”

“I gotchu homie.” Luis pulls out his own phone. Before he even turns it on, the screen illuminates with a text from Dave, joining the others filling the screen. 

Dave: Something’s wack, man.   
Dave: Me and Kurt were playing Smash Bros, right? And my Bowser destroyed his Kirby. But when I looked over to brag about it, he was just like, gone. All he left behind is dust.  
Dave: it’s all over my controller  
Dave: oh no, did you see the news?   
Dave: Please answer.   
Dave: Not you too. 

Luis hastens to text him back, reassuring him that he wasn’t affected by whatever was happening. 

“Hey, what’s-“

“Scotty, I think we’ve got a problem.”

—-  
They’re in Luis’s van, and he’s driving like the devils after him. Scott is offering soothing words such as “Go, go, go!” as he swerves to avoid a crashed car.   
The news said it was something that affected a huge amount of people, but they weren’t sure how many yet. When Scott heard about the event, he switched into dad mode, and now Luis is speeding towards Cassie Lang’s house. 

Luis is still reeling himself, and he prays to every god ever that Cassie made it out alive. He focuses harder than possibly ever before in his life, dodging a semi laying halfway on the road. If he wasn’t so stressed, he’d be having the time of his life. 

Scott is beside him, calling Maggie again and repeating, “Not Cassie. Please, not Cassie.” 

Luis thinks about the van Dynes and hoping that they managed to escape whatever happened- hoping they’re alive somewhere. But the longer he thinks about it, the more certain he is that they aren’t. 

Finally, after narrowly avoiding a Prius flipped upside down in the center of the road, Luis pulls into the driveway. Scott doesn’t even wait for Luis to brake, dashing towards the door. 

Luis wastes no time in doing the same. By the time Luis catches up, Scott is knocking vigorously at the door. 

“Hello? Maggie? Jim? It’s me. It’s Scott. Is anyone there? Please, it’s me!” For a terrifying moment, nothing happens.

And then the door swings open, and little Cassie is standing there in her pajamas. “Daddy?”

Scott breaks down. 

“Peanut, oh thank god!” Cassie reaches up to hug him, and he sobs. She gives him a bemused pat on the back. 

Luis tears up himself. He watches Scott cry into his daughter’s shoulder and waits a moment before putting an arm around them both. 

Cassie looks up at Luis as Scott wipes his tears away. “Uncle Luis, why is Daddy sad?”

Luis doesn’t know how to answer. 

“Cassie, where’s your mom and stepdad?”

“Jim’s inside. Mommy’s at work. Did someone die?” She spares no time for euphemism. 

“Cass...” Scott pulls her close to him. “Let’s go inside.”

And they do. Scott sits down on the couch as Jim runs in from the other room. 

“Scott, oh, thank God. I’m getting called in, can you take care of Cassie?”

“Is Maggie okay?” Scott asks instead of answering. 

“Let’s hope so. If she’s not...” Jim falters for a second, then steels his expression. “She’s fine. I’m sure of it. She has to be.” With that, he dashes out the door. 

“Daddy, I’m scared.” Cassie pulls on Scott’s sleeve, looking up at him with sad eyes. 

“Peanut, I won’t let anyone hurt you. And, if you hadn’t noticed, I’m scared too.” He gives her a sad smile. 

“That makes three of us,” says Luis, his fingers drumming the arm of the chair. 

“Why don’t we watch some TV, and try to take our minds off the scariness?” Scott suggests. 

“Ooh, let’s watch Friends!” Luis perks up slightly, and Cassie gives a hopeful smile at Scott. 

Scott obliges, flicking the TV on. 

“...scale of the destruction wrought by this tragedy...”

He flicks through the channels in an attempt to find Friends, but he quickly abandons that mission in favor of finding literally any non-news broadcast. 

“event is nicknamed the Decimation...”  
“among the dead include the President, Ariana Grande, Benedict Cumberbatch...”  
“The large-scale attack is nicknamed the Decimation but is also known as the Dusting based on the fact that the victims turned to dust...”  
“...estimated to be about half the population...”  
“...here in Wakanda...”

“Wait, Scotty! Go back!” Luis motions to keep the last news channel. 

The screen shows famed superhero and scientific genius Bruce Banner on a field of some sort. A noticeably disheveled newslady shoves her microphone in his face. 

“I’m here with Dr. Bruce Banner, who says he has a definitive cause of this phenomenon.”

Dr. Banner leans into the mic and says one word. “Thanos.”

“Thanos? Is that some sorta bug or something?” Luis wonders out loud. 

“Dude, bugs didn’t cause this.” Scott gestures to his Ant-Man suit that he still has on. 

“Oh, damn, my bad, homie.” Luis hears Cassie giggling slightly, and smiles a tiny bit. 

His smile fades, however, as Bruce on the tv continues talking. 

“Thanos is an alien- a Titan. He took these infinity stones and snapped away half of the entire universe.” Bruce looks like he’s about to cry at any second, poor guy. 

The reporter has the nerve to actually scoff at him. “Stones? Snap? You’re telling me some guy with rocks snapped away my entire family? Very funny, Dr. Banner.” Now Luis feels bad for the lady, who is obviously on the edge of a breakdown.   
“Why aren’t you going after him now, then, Hulk? What’s stopping you from getting them back?”  
Bruce shrinks down and is about to say something else, when the mic is snatched out of the woman’s hands by none other than Captain America. 

“You met him, Daddy!” whispers Cassie excitedly.   
“I know!” whispers Scott back in the same tone. 

On the TV, Cap leans into the mic. “‘Scuse me, Miss, I know it seems ridiculous, but it’s the truth. We are people too. I’ve lost some of my dearest friends and my deepest loved ones too, so kindly fuck off.” Luis’ mouth drops open.

“Damn, she got destroyed! By Captain America swearing on air!”

“That beard looks good on him,” Scott says in response, turning off the TV. 

Luis expects Cassie to comment on that, but instead she looks up at Scott, determination in her eyes. “Daddy, I think you should help Captain America take down that guy.” 

Scott balks. “What?”

“Daddy! They need you!”

“Yeah, Scotty,” Luis interjects, “everyone needs an Ant-Man! Me, I’d rather have a Scott Lang. But the world needs an Ant-Man!”

“Me too,” agrees Cassie. “I need my Daddy, but the world needs him too.” She intertwines her and Scott’s fingers. 

“Dude, we’re gonna get Hope back. Hank and Janet too.”

“And Mommy,” says Cassie. The perceptive ten-year-old has figured out by now that her mother may have been dusted as well. 

“And Mommy.” Scott repeats, nodding. 

“Can I be your partner this time? Please? I want to help, too!” Cassie asks him. 

Scott laughs a little. “You are helping me, Peanut, just by being here.”

“Yeah, I know,” she dismisses, “but can I be your partner in awesomeness on the battlefield? Pleeeeease?” She’s bringing out the puppy eyes. Stay strong, Scotty!

“Aww, Cassie, you’re the world’s greatest girl, but you also need to stay out of trouble.”

“And you’re the world’s greatest grandma!” She giggles. 

Luis chooses that moment to butt in. “I can be your sidekick!”

Scott turns toward him, one eyebrow raised. “You’re serious? Dude, you’re already my partner-in-crime-fighting, you know that, right? You and Hope.”

Luis feels his face light up. “You mean it?”

“Every word.” Scott smiles. “You aren’t my sidekick, dude.”

Luis smiles even bigger. “Thanks, man!” He and Scott pantomime their best-friends handshake. 

“Peanut, you’re a part of our Team Awesome, too! You’re our strategic mastermind!” says Scott, poking Cassie lightly on the head. 

“Team Awesome, awesome team of superheroes!” Cassie tries out. “I love it!”

“I kinda want a superhero name, though.” Luis ponders. “What about... Super... uh... Hot Chick Magnet? Nah, too braggy. Ooh, maybe Luis-Man-“

“We’ll work on the name later.” Scott decides. “Now, does anyone want donuts?”

And off goes Team Awesome to get their well-deserved donuts and to figure out a plan to avenge the dusted- Maggie, Hope, Hank, Janet, Kurt, and all the others. And still, Luis is glad that he has his best friend by his side. Team Awesome will surely live up to its name.


	2. Wong

Wong likes mononyms.  
Can you blame him?

He himself has never had a last name- his family grew up in a monastery, and they never saw a need for one. For all his life he has been only Wong, no last name. Sometimes Wong the Librarian. So when he found musicians that were known by mononyms, he jumped at the chance to listen. 

His Apple Music playlist spans a variety of genres, from current pop (Beyoncé, Sia, Adele) to 80s music, (Cher, Madonna) to rock (Sting) to rap (Eminem) to classical musicians (Beethoven, Chopin). Yes, he knows the last category went by their full names, but when was the last time he met a person who knew Haydn’s first name? 

Stephen and the other magicians at the New York Sanctum, both named Andrea, are familiar with the playlist, having heard it countless times through their stay at the Sanctum. The Andreas pronounce their names differently, with Andrea (ANNE-dree-a) Wells going by Anne, and Andrea (Ahn-DRAY-a) Simpson going by Drea. Through their stay at the Sanctum, Wong has become aquaintances and even friends with them, although he still prefers his alone time. 

His AirPods, as Strange advised him the name of, serve as an easy way for Wong to listen to his music on the go. Once, Stephen joked about Wong “not speaking broke.” Wong just went along with it. 

And they serve as a signal to the Andreas to leave him alone. Because Wong likes his quiet time. Relatively quiet, anyway. He needs his tunes. 

He’s in a bit of a focused frenzy at the moment. It’s a few hours after the fight with the so-called “Children of Thanos.” He is currently researching a spell that can reverse disintegration just in case the bastard succeeds and the outcome is as disastrous as promised. P!nk’s “Glitter in the Air” provides his backing track as he laser focuses on his book. Wong tends to hyperfocus, so he doesn’t even notice Drea Simpson stumbling in until she cries out. 

He looks up, annoyed at the distraction, but falters. Drea is running towards him, and she cries out, “Help!” She reaches out towards him, but before he can even get out of his chair, she disintegrates into a pile on the floor. 

Wong breathes in, trying and failing to convince himself that it’s an illusion, that she’s playing a joke. But Drea’s not the type to play jokes. Anne, maybe. She’s the sardonic type. But even Anne isn’t sadistic enough to do this. 

Speak of the devil, she runs in with a miffed look, which quickly changes to confusion, then concern. “What did you do?” she asks, not taking her eyes off The Pile Of Dust Formerly Known as Drea. 

“N-nothing... I think he did it, Anne.” Wong’s tone suddenly shifts from bewildered to sullen. 

“Who?”

“Thanos. We failed.” Wong puts his head in his hands as Anne kneels down to inspect the place where Andrea disappeared. 

He sits in silence as he racks his brain for the next step. He looks up at the dust still settling, and only then does he notice that “Glitter in the Air” is still playing.  
——  
Wong needs silence for this. He takes a deep breath, looking behind him. Anne stands in the doorway, and he attempts to communicate his desperation through his eyes. She just nods and readies her own Sling Ring as a defense. Wong trusts her to defend the Sanctum- she’s a capable magician. 

He turns around and begins to visualize Doctor Strange in the hopes of a portal materializing. But nothing happens. Wong tries again with no results. He forces himself to believe that Strange is just off world and not... no, he can’t be.  
Wong is about to make a portal to Kamar-Taj, but stops himself short. An idea pops into his head- a crazy idea, but one that just might work.  
The man that originally told them about Thanos- Bruce Banner was his name, hes part of the Avengers, right? Maybe he’s around them.  
Wong rationalizes this in half a second, then begins to summon a portal. This one, thankfully, works, and through the portal Wong can see a grassy field filled with warriors, before his view is blocked by a large metal structure. 

Before he enters the portal, he looks back at Anne once more. “Notify Kamar-Taj of what happened. Tell them the Sanctum survived.”

“Will do. Good luck.” She gives him a small salute, and he steps through the portal.  
——  
Wong steps out into a forest- Bruce must’ve moved- and nearly runs straight into the metal structure he saw earlier. He looks around for Bruce, but is unsuccessful. And then he looks in front of him to find the entire Avengers team looking aghast at him. 

“Who’re you?” Black Widow asks. She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. 

“I’m... uh... Wong,” he stutters. He navigates around the structure, which moves, startling him. 

“Wong. So, you’ve heard.” Bruce’s voice comes from somewhere up above. It’s only when Wong looks up that he sees that the structure is actually a complex, gigantic metal suit worn by Bruce Banner. 

“I witnessed it.” The event in question doesn’t have to be explicitly stated. 

Despite looking at him, Captain America stays speechless on the ground, next to ashes. Before Wong can say anything, the man tears up, putting his head in his hands. 

Wong feels awkward as the rest of the Avengers take another moment to grieve. He looks up at Bruce Banner, who has his eyes closed. He scans the surrounding forested area, scrutinizing the clearing he seems to have appeared in. 

A few dust particles float by. 

Wong looks back at the assembled Avengers. “I’m sorry for your losses.”

Captain America looks up at him, seeming to see him for the first time. After going through a series of emotions- defensive, sad, confused- he gets up from his spot near what looks like some sort of dead body. 

“Thank you... Wong, is it?” Wong nods in approval. 

Bruce’s voice wavers. “He works to protect Earth with other magicians like him.”

A shadow of doubt passes over the Captain’s bearded face, but he evidently decides he’s seen weirder. 

“Is there anything we can do for you? Is there anyone else around that we can help?” The Captain’s voice takes on a tone of steely determination. 

Before Wong can answer, Black Widow interrupts. “Steve, give yourself a break. This isn’t something you can just punch away. I hate this as much as you do, but let’s just see where we are.” She strains to keep her voice even. 

Captain America weighs his teammate’s suggestion for a fraction of a section before agreeing. 

“Is there anything I can do?” Asks Wong, feeling awkward. 

Widow’s eyes grow big. “Clint. Tony.” 

“Stark is off world, and I can only make a portal on this planet, unfortunately.” Wong apologizes. 

“He better still be alive, or I’m going to kill him,” whispers War Machine. 

“But Clint should be at his house, right?” Widow’s voice grows increasingly frantic. “That’s in Virginia.”

“Does anyone have a picture of your friend?” Wong offers. 

Widow takes out her phone and shows him the home screen. The picture is of her (with red hair instead of her current blonde) alongside a blonde man that Wong recognizes as Hawkeye, another founding Avenger. 

“Why didn’t you just say Hawkeye?” He asks her. She may be answering, but Wong is too absorbed in his current visualization of the man to absorb her answer. 

A portal opens in front of Wong. The front of a white house faces the portal, and Wong looks back at Widow, who’s expression has slightly changed- is that hope he sees?

“Well, I got the portal to work, so that may mean your friend is still alive.” Widow’s face changes for only a second. “But I’m still not sure how this... event impacts how portals work and if they can open even if the person was vaporized.” Her face fell. 

Before stepping through the portal, Wong takes one look back at the assembled team. “I’ll be right back.”

—-

He steps through the portal and onto the grass of an American lawn. From inside the house comes a classical tune that sounds as if it’s being played live- Wong recognizes it as Chopin’s “Fantasie Impromptu.” 

Wong hesitates before shutting the portal. He still isn’t sure if he will find Hawkeye. He closes the portal, takes a deep breath, and knocks on the door. 

The music stops, and after a few seconds, the man from the photo opens the door. “Can I help you?” He asks, taking in Wong’s outfit. 

“Hawkeye, my name is Wong.”

“If you’re trying to sell me something, thanks but no thanks. I’ve got enough stuff as it is.” The man goes to close the door, but Wong catches it. 

“This is serious. They need your help to fix this. Hawkeye, please.”

The man opens the door further, a confused expression evident on his face. “What do you mean? Who needs my help? What do they need to fix?” He shifts his feet. “Also, call me Clint.”

“Clint. The remaining Avengers need you-“

Clint scoffs a little. “If this is about the Sokovia Accords-“

“You haven’t heard?” Wong softens his tone. 

“Heard what?” Clint tilts his head. 

Uh oh. 

“You might want to sit down for this.” 

Clint gives him a confused look, but steps aside to invite him in. 

Once they are both seated, Wong fully intends to tell Clint what happened. But when they actually sit down, Wong can’t find the words. He focuses on the golden retriever sniffing his feet instead of talking, so the awkward silence stretches longer and longer. 

Finally, he decides to come right out with it. 

“Clint, roughly fifteen minutes ago half the world disappeared in a second.”

Clint laughs sharply, but upon seeing Wong’s expression, he stops. “What?”

“To make a long story short, this alien got the power to wipe out half the universe, and although we tried, no one could stop him.”

Wong explains the Infinity Stones as fast as humanly possible, pulling up a visual. 

“That’s why we need you, Clint. We need to reunite the Avengers-“

“Wait, who’s we?” Clint still looks confused. 

“The rest of us- magicians like me, the Wakandan army, and every other superhero across the universe. We need as much help as we can get.”

Clint sits quietly for a second. “So if this... Thanos guy killed half the universe at random... oh no, is Nat okay?”

“Most of the original Avengers made it out alive. Tony Stark, I’m not sure about, because he’s off world, but the other four are in one piece.”

“I need some arrows.” mutters Clint, immediately standing up. 

He starts bustling about, in an almost trancelike state. He takes out his phone. “Is there any way to find out if certain people made it?”

“Call them?” Wong suggests, probably unhelpful. 

Clint doesn’t say another word until he’s got his phone pressed to his ear. 

“Hello?” 

“Lila, honey! I’m so glad to hear your voice. Is mommy there?”

“I’m so glad. I love you, sweetie! I will call you in a few minutes, okay?”

He hangs up the phone, a smile on his face. “My kids survived. Ex-wife, too, by the sound of it.” 

Wong gives a small smile. “I’m happy for you.”

It’s only a moment before Clint springs into action again, a renewed hope motivating his movements. 

In a few moments, Clint is ready to go. “I’m ready,” he says, his features steely with determination. 

“Good,” says Wong, standing up. 

The two of them head to the door. As Wong exits, Clint hangs back. 

Wong can hear him telling his dog (Lucky?) to hold down the fortress while he’s gone. 

As Clint runs up to him, Wong opens the portal back to the Avengers.

The two of them step through it, where the team is waiting.

——  
Black Widow tears up as soon as she sees Clint, and she runs to him and catches him in a strong embrace. 

Wong nearly forgets to close the portal as he’s watching the two Avengers reunite. 

He’s snapped out of his reverie when he hears bustling from behind him. He turns around only to see a newswoman and her cameraman sprint through the portal!

Wong quickly closes it before anyone else can intrude, but it’s too late. The woman shoves her microphone in Bruce Banner’s face. He’s out of his metal suit, but he looks more ready for a nap than an interview. And the woman herself looks like she’s about to snap. Wong contemplates if he should interfere, but Captain America does it for him. He looks into the camera and clearly shuts the operation down. Once the clearly ashamed cameraman turns off the camera, the Captain looks plaintively at Wong. Wong realizes that he should open a portal, and opens one to the house he was at. 

Thor pushes the intruders through, and Wong closes the portal. The Avengers heave a sigh. 

“You know, I think you can be a lot of help to us,” Thor says in a faux-upbeat tone, obviously rattled by the past twenty minutes. 

Wong sighs. “Whatever I can do.”

“Here, lets start with introductions. You’ve already helped us a lot. I don’t know what we’re going to do from here, but for now, I’m Rhodey.” The de-suited War Machine sticks out a hand. 

“Is that your full name?” Wong asks, accepting the handshake. 

“No, Colonel James Rhodes at your service, but you can call me Rhodey.”

Oh, Wong likes him. Mononymic and wise. 

The team heads back through the woods, minus many members but plus one. 

Broken, but together. 

A paradoxical idea, but one that is true. 

Wong is ready to fight alongside this broken, united team until they got their friends back. 

For everyone who can’t, the Avengers will.


	3. Pepper Potts, CEO of Keeping it Together

 

Pepper Potts throws herself into her work after Tony is whisked away. She can’t bear to think of the danger he’s in. He’s never been involved in something of this magnitude, which Pepper can’t quite fathom but she inferred from the urgency of the man that escorted her Tony away. It was her day off, a sunny May day that she was going to spend with him, giving herself a break from her work and just relaxing with her fiancé. They had been talking wedding plans when that man had showed up, and although she let him go, Pepper is still nervous about him. She knows he is capable, so, to stop herself from worrying, she switched into CEO Mode and here she is back at Stark Industries. 

She’s sorting through paperwork with a vigor unmatched by anyone else, and in the hours since the park, she’s been more productive than she has been all week. She had changed from her athletic clothes into a black pantsuit, although she kept her hair up in its ponytail. Even the small task of showering kept her busy doing something instead of worrying. She stops for a second and examines herself in the small mirror on the desk. No makeup, but the stress she’s hiding doesn’t show plain on her face.   
Her work phone sits side by side with her personal phone. She waits for either to ring again. 

She puts on a pleasant smile and calls in four of her employees. 

Four men and women file into her office, and she strives to look as pleasant as possible. Her plaque, proclaiming “Virginia Potts, CEO of Stark Industries”, sits polished on her desk, not a speck on its surface. She pushes it slightly to the side as she pulls out a stack of papers from her desk.   
She gives the employees a once-over—high school intern Riri Williams, top-paid accountant Edward Peterson, researcher Daisy Reinold, and stockbroker Danny Cohen. Pepper knows the four of them have their own lives, their own stresses. She wants to be as welcoming and approachable as possible, even when she is under her own duress.   
She stands up, lifting up a stack of the papers. “Mr. Peterson,” she says, getting right down to business, “I need you to take these down to Account...ing... Mr. Peterson?”

Pepper can’t believe her eyes. The aforementioned Mr. Peterson seems to be disintegrating into thin air! Dr. Reinold seems to be suffering the same fate as her coworker. The other two workers are paralyzed in shock, not unlike Pepper herself. She feels her grip loosen on the papers, hears the _thump_ of the stack landing on the desk. For a moment, her office is quiet, except for the whistle of a sudden mysterious breeze blowing the dust of her employees around the room. She stutters for a moment, and then finally, she snaps. 

“Are you _kidding_ me?” She yells. “I just wanted one day!” She feels her face grow hot and her eyes tear up. “One day to relax with my fiancé, and you take him away, and now this?” She can’t even finish her rant before she collapses on her desk in tears. She looks up once and tells the paralyzed employees to check on the workroom before putting her head on her desk, sobbing. So much for composed. 

She registers the fact that she’s alone in the room, and wills herself to wake up from this dream. When she lifts her head, she sees the dust particles that were formerly her employees settling on her desk and on her no-longer-pristine nameplate. She stumbles to the door, and stops in disbelief. 

Her focused employees are a mess: sobbing as she had, screaming, calling family, although some are still absorbed in their work. The majority of the employees left- they seem to number about half what they were- have fixed their attention on the TV screen in the corner or their phones. 

The TV cuts to an emergency broadcast signal. Over the airwaves comes a deep voice, strangely calm. 

“Breaking news: a mysterious force has caused hundreds of thousands of people to disappear instantaneously. Survivors are advised to stay calm and stay where you are. The cause is not yet discernible. Updates will follow.”

Outside, cars honk their horns in sync with continuous crashing sounds. One employee sticks her head out the window and looks down. What she sees causes her to pull herself back in as her face goes pale. 

Pepper closes her eyes and attempts to center herself. She takes a deep breath, then in her most commanding voice, speaks. 

“What’s going on?” 

The room turns to look at her. She absorbs the tear-streaked faces of her employees. The ones that hadn’t noticed before have certainly taken notice now. Although the employees number much less, the emotion in the room is palpable. 

“Mrs. Potts...” starts Riri Williams, tears streaming down her young face. “Can I call my mom?”

“Please do, Riri.” She puts a hand on the girl’s shoulder.   
“Everyone stay where you are, but call your families. Keep an eye on the news, but don’t move from this building.” Pepper faces the workroom one more time, and then retires to her office. 

“Friday?” she asks, letting herself relax into her chair. 

“Yes, Ms. Potts?”

“Broadcast my voice through the building.”

“Of course.” Friday beeps to let Pepper know her request is done. She intentionally doesn’t broadcast a visual feed because she wants to keep the TVs on in case of news. 

“Hello, everyone. I’m sure you’re all frazzled from... whatever this is. You may call your families or do whatever you need to do, but I only have one request: please stay in the building. We don’t know what it’s like outside of the building, and in this manner we can be relatively sure of who was... taken from us, and who is still here. Please, stay safe. Turn your TVs to any news channel in case of news. Friday will provide anything you need. If you need anything, I am here.” 

She pauses for a second, attempting to keep her composure. 

“...Leave the dust where it is for now. We don’t know what will happen. Stay safe, Stark Industries.”

She raises her hand in signal for Friday to cut the broadcast, then closes her eyes. This has to be some sort of nightmare. It can’t be real. She must be having wedding jitters, she rationalizes. This must be a fear of her own wedding and the change in the status quo materializing in her subconscious. She opens her eyes, hoping to see her own bedroom, but no luck. She sits in her dusty office, alone. 

“Ms. Potts?” Friday’s voice sounds cautious as she signals the CEO. 

“Yes, Friday?” Pepper replies. 

“Happy Hogan requests a conference.” Pepper jolts upright. Happy’s alive! Maybe he’ll know something about Tony!

“Does he want me to come meet him?” She asks, scrambling for her phones. 

“He’s coming to you.”

“I just told everyone to stay where they were,” she mutters. Nonetheless, she notifies Friday that Happy has the right to enter her office. 

A few minutes later, Harold “Happy” Hogan throws open the door. “What the hell is happening?”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Pepper sighs. “I can’t contact Tony, haven’t been able to since he called me earlier. I’m hoping it’s just because he lost signal-“

“Confirmed, Boss did lose signal.” Friday interrupts. 

“-but it could be this. I can’t let myself think about that, or I won’t get anything done. How’s the security?”

“No break-ins. People running out the doors like crazy.” Happy gestures to the doorway. “I know you said to stay in the building, but that’s not stopping everyone. Should I lock the doors?”

“I don’t think it’s fair to trap them, Happy. It’s already too late to get an attendance report. Maybe we can send out an email. I’m not sure of the procedures for something of this magnitude.”

“That’s fair. But how will we know who disappeared?”

“Security cameras exist for a reason.”

“Can Friday check them all?”

“I can.” Friday affirms. “However, I’m not sure how many of the absent employees survived.”

“I’ll send out an email.” Pepper puts her head in her hands. She feels like crying. 

She sends Happy out with a wave of her hand before she breaks down. She doesn’t know if Tony’s alive, she has no idea about her parents, her family, the Avengers, her friends.   
She’s a CEO. She’s supposed to be composed and decisive under any circumstances. 

But as Pepper assesses the situation, only one thing is on her mind. What is she supposed to do now?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve actually had this chapter done for months but I didn’t know if I wanted to add something to it lmao  
> Anyway enjoy!


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